The power of lies
by Jessie-chan aka Jessie
Summary: The boss wants to separate Jessie and Meowth from James, but a mysterious woman has a plan for Jessie how to ruin the boss.
1. Part 1

Part 1  
  
  
Jessie couldn't have any sleep that night. The boss wanted to see them first thing in the morning, and It couldn't be good. Jessie, James and Meowth had failed so many times, and the boss had threatened to kick them out of the team so many times, that she was convinced that that is what he's going to say tomorrow. She also knew that kicking them out is the easiest punishment he can give them.   
  
Jessie sat up and looked at James, who was sleeping peacefully next to her. She didn't want him to get hurt and she wanted to protect him, but he got hurt everyday in Team Rocket.  
  
Jessie pulled herself closer to James, and her fingers brushed through his hair gently. It wasn't the first time that she had thoughts of leaving Team Rocket. Those thoughts came into her head many, many times in the past few weeks. Jessie and James joined Team Rocket as kids, and stealing Pokemon and living on the edge was a great adventure for young teens who had no where else to go to, but they weren't kids anymore. they were both   
about to end the second decade of their lives soon.  
  
Jessie then fell asleep and had a dream. In her dream, she was lying in a dark room and weeping. Suddenly, a bright light appeared, and when Jessie lifted her head, she saw her mother . She was wearing a white dress and looked just like an angel. She smiled at her daughter, a motherly smile.  
When Jessie woke up, she knew the reason for staying in Team Rocket. She is doing it in the memory of her mother.  
  
-  
  
"I wonder what does the boss want from us today", said James as they were walking to the Team Rocket HQ.  
  
"What'cha think?" Meowth gazed at him, "I bet he don't wanna praise us for da good work."   
  
"I hope he's not too mad at us. The last time the brat and his Pikachu beat us was really humiliating. What do you think, Jess?"   
  
"Huh?" Jessie wasn't listening. She was too tired after a sleepless night.  
  
"We were tryin ta guess what's da boss gonna tell us."   
  
"I think we better off not knowing", She said pensively.   
  
"It can't be that bad, can it?" asked James in a worried tone.   
  
"You just hafta scare us, huh, Jess?" added Meowth.  
  
"Sorry, but you know how the boss is."  
  
They continued walking in silence for a few more minutes, and then arrived to the headquarters.  
  
"Ok, dat's it, lets get in and get it ova with." Said Meowth and walked through the big door, James was right behind him. Jessie was about to enter the HQ too, when she noticed that her hand-mirror had fallen out of her pocket, a few meters away from her. She went back and bent over to pick it up, when she heard a voice behind her.   
  
"Jessica? Daughter of Miyamoto?"   
  
Jessie raised her head and saw a tall woman standing next to her. The woman wore a short red dress and red shoes with very high heals. On her head she wore a matching red hat with very wide brim, which covered most of her face and blond hair.   
  
"That's me", Jessie answered and pulled herself up from the ground.   
The woman looked at her and smiled. "God, you look just like her."  
  
"Excuse me, but who..."  
  
"Please", the woman stopped her, "Can you spare me a few moments out of   
your time? It is very important."  
  
"I really can't, I'm just on my way to..."  
  
"Speak to Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket."  
  
Jessie looked at her, amazed. "How did you..."  
  
"Please, Jessica, sit down", the woman pointed at one of the chairs of a little cafe-house that was just next to them.   
  
Jessie decided to sit down, and the woman sat down too. When she lifted her head a bit, Jessie noticed her baby-blue eyes. She wasn't very young, but she was very pretty.   
  
"How do you know my name and my mother? And how did you know I was on my way to the boss of Team Rocket?" Jessie started asking her a lot of questions and the woman smiled.  
  
"I know a lot of things about you, Jessica. I've been following and studying you for a very long time."  
  
"But why? Who are you?" Jessie started to feel very uncomfortable and a bit frightened.   
  
"There's no need to be scared", the woman seemed to read her mind, "I'm  
only here for your best interest."   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jessie got up from the chair and was about to leave. She didn't like the whole situation not one bit.  
  
"Jessica, sit down please, and let me explain everything", the woman said in a low quiet voice. Jessie looked at her suspiciously and sat down.  
  
"Now tell me who you are and what you want from me." She demanded.  
  
"Don't worry. I have many things to tell you, Jessica." She smiled at Jessie.   
  
"My name is Lauren Malone. I was a Rocket member a long time ago and I've known your mother for a short while, before she died. Too shortly unfortunately, she was an amazing woman. I remember once when she showed me a picture of you. A beautiful baby."   
  
Jessie felt a weird pain clutching her stomach. This woman knew her mother, and Jessie never had a chance to speak with anyone who'd known her mother before. The name, Lauren Malone, sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't remember hearing it before.   
  
Lauren continued: "Madame boss was the Team Rocket boss when your mother worked for the team. Back then, Team Rocket wasn't such an evil crime organization. We just caught rare Pokemon and studied them, sometimes we stole them if it was necessary, and we got a lot of money for the illegal research. But we weren't as violent as the team now, and we certainly didn't steal from 10 year olds." Jessie knew who she meant by that, and she smiled. Lauren continued: "When Giovanni took over, everything changed. He has no mercy and no dignity. He just wants to be rich and exploit his members. I was about your age when he became the boss and completely ruined Team Rocket. He was the one who advised his mother to send Miyamoto on a suicide mission."  
  
"What?!" Jessie jumped as if she was bitten by something.  
  
"He knew that your mother would never let him run the team the way he wanted to. She was too strong to agree with that."  
  
"You're lying." Jessie couldn't believe that. "It can't be true."  
  
"But it is", Lauren smiled a sympathetic smile. "She would have stopped  
him if she could, and I know you will do the same."  
  
Jessie's eyes filled with tears, and she said quietly: "My mother was the best Team Rocket member. She died during a mission to catch Mew. She was sent to this mission because she was the only one who could do that."  
  
"This is partially true. But Jessica, you know that Giovanni is capable of doing that."  
  
"No", Jessie answered quickly, "My mother died during a mission. She was the only one who could catch Mew", She repeated herself, trying to convince herself.  
  
"No one had ever told you what was team Rocket like before Giovanni. If you knew, you would have known the truth. But I know you will believe me. You see the way Team Rocket is today. You have been thinking of leaving the team for a long time now, haven't you?"  
  
"How do you know that? I haven't told this to anyone."  
  
"I told you I know many things about you. You want to protect your friend   
  
James, and you are very right. Giovanni's ways will only get you both jailed or killed."  
  
"James..." Jessie wiped a few tears from her chick as she remembered her partner and friend.   
  
"I know you love him. Just like your mother loved you father. And Giovanni knows that you're strong and independent like you mother. He'll do everything he can to stop you, because he's afraid of you."  
  
"Afraid of me?" Jessie laughed sadly, "You're out of your mind."   
  
"Oh, no I'm not. He knows you're capable of stopping him, and he will find a way to hurt you and your friends in the way."   
  
"Why are you telling me all this? Who are you?" Jessie cried, "What do you want?"  
  
"I have a proposal for you. A way to stop Giovanni."  



	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
  
"A proposal?" Jessie looked at the woman suspiciously.  
  
"As you know, Giovanni has many legal businesses and he is a very rich and dignitary man. The only way to destroy him is by ruining his reputation. That is what I tried to do 10 years ago. But no one believed me, because it was my word against his. That's what I need you for- so it'll be both of us against him."  
  
Jessie was confused. "I don't understand."  
  
" I filed a complaint against Giovanni, complaining that he had sexually harassed me, And I need you to do the same."  
  
"What!?" Jessie almost fell down from her chair. "Are you out of your mind?! He never touched me!"  
  
"I know he didn't."  
  
"Did he touch you?"  
  
Lauren lowered her head and said quietly: "We had a short affair, but it was over when I realized how evil he was."  
  
"So it's all about getting a revenge at an ex-lover, isn't it?" Jessie said angrily.  
  
"It's not that at all. I tried to save the world from the evil that is Giovanni,   
and I'm trying to do that now."  
  
"Why now? Why me?"  
  
"Because I know you and I know what you are capable of, just like your mother. And I think that now you are ready more than ever and you are wiser more than ever."  
  
"You are crazy. I can't face Giovanni like that, no one can."  
  
"You are underestimating yourself, Jessica."  
  
Jessie was completely shocked. She wanted to say something when she heard someone calling her. It was James, and he ran fast towards her.  
  
"Jessie, where have you been? The boss is waiting and we couldn't find you anywhere!"   
  
Jessie got up and was about to go with James when Lauren grabbed her hand and put a piece of paper in it. "Think it over and if you decide to help me, give me a call", She said quietly. Jessie looked at her and didn't say a word, put the paper in her pocket and followed James.   
  
"Where have you been?" James asked, "You look upset... who was that woman and what did she want?"   
  
"Nothing, James. She's nobody."  
  
-  
  
"So you decided to show up?" The boss said in an intimidating voice, from behind the shadows.   
  
"I'm sorry, sir... I was..."   
  
"Shut up!" He yelled at Jessie and she cringed in her place. "I don't care. I am very disappointed with all of you. You are a bunch of useless losers who can't do anything right. You are a disgrace for Team Rocket." Suddenly he got up from his chair and got a bit closer to them. He never got close to them before, and it scared them. The boss' face disgusted Jessie, and Lauren's words still echoed in her mind.   
  
The boss looked angrily at them and spat: "I have no other choice than to separate you. And James- you are out of the Team. You're the biggest loser of the team."   
  
"What?" James cried out.  
  
Jessie felt rage filling her at that point. "You can't do this, sir!" She said, in a sudden courage. "I won't have it!"   
  
The boss looked at her, shocked and furious. "What did you say?" He got closer to her and suddenly put his hand on her neck and forced her to fall on her knees. "And since when are you in charge? You will do what ever I say or you will all pay the price!"  
  
"She's sorry, boss!" Meowth panicked when he saw Jessie on her knees, "We'll do what eva ya say!"  
  
The boss let go of her and stepped back. "You will return back here next Monday to meet your new partner, and James- I don't want to see you here ever again. You will never meet Jessie or Meowth again after this week."  
  
Jessie pulled herself from the floor, still coughing. She gave the boss a hateful look and stepped out of the room with James and Meowth. When they were outside the room she noticed a tear falling from James' eye, and It broke her heart. She came closer to him and hugged his arm.  
  
"I don't want to never see you again", he said quietly and wiped the tear off of his cheek.  
  
"I know James, I don't want it neither."   
  
"This thing sucks", mentioned Meowth, looking sadly at his partners. He will miss James, of course, but he was more upset when he thought about how Jessie's going to handle it.  
  
They went back to their little house with out saying a thing. The sun was already setting; they had spent the entire day in the HQ because of the delay that Jessie and Lauren's conversation caused- They had to wait four hours until the boss let them in to see him. They got to their little home when it was time for dinner, but no body was hungry.  
James went outside and sat on the grass, and Meowth followed him.  
  
"Yer ok, James?"  
  
James smiled sadly at the Cat-Pokemon. "How can I be ok? You know   
what's going to happen next week."  
  
"I know, James. I'm sorry 'bout that."  
  
"Yeah", James said shortly, trying to hide the pain in his voice.  
  
"Have ya thought of what yer going to do after ya left da team?"  
  
"Maybe I'll go back to my parents and marry Jessebelle..."  
  
"You don't wanna do dat..."  
  
"No, I don't... maybe I'll go and follow my dream to be a Pokemon master?"   
  
"Like the twerp?" Meowth tried to make James smile, "You'll wear yer   
cap backwards and challenge every trainer ya meet?"  
  
James laughed. "Maybe I will!" and then his eyes turned sad.  
  
"You'll miss Jessie, huh?" Meowth asked sympathetically.   
  
He sighed. "Oh, god, I will. I will miss her more than anything."  
  
Meowth felt sorry for him. "I'm sorry things happen the way dey did."  
  
"Me too, Meowth."   
  
In the meanwhile, Jessie was looking through the window at her two  
friends, and cried. She didn't want to lose James; He has been a part of her for so long, and now the boss is going to make sure they will be apart for life. The same boss that... killed... her mother? Could it be true? Can he be responsible for the biggest tragedy in Jessie's life?  
  
She took the little paper out of her uniform pocket, and looked at it. It was a phone number, a mobile phone number. She looked at it for a while and then walked slowly over to the phone.   
  
She dialed once and then hung up. This thing that Lauren wanted her to do was big and risky, but it might be the only way to stop Giovanni from tearing her apart from the only man that she had ever truly loved.  
  
Her fingers shook as she dialed the number and waited a few rings. She was about to hang up again when a feminine voice answered:  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mss. Malone?" Jessie's voice trembled.  
  
"Yes, this is Lauren Malone."  
  
"Lauren, It's Jessie, I need to speak with you, as soon as possible."   



	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
  
"I'm so glad you decided to meet me, Jessica", Lauren shook Jessie's hand and sat down in front of her. She wore a short yellow dress with yellow shoes and a large yellow hat with wide brim that covered most of her face and blonde hair.  
  
"So, I see you've decided to reconsider my proposal." Lauren smiled.  
  
"Yes, I have. I want to hear more about your plan."  
  
"Well, it's simple actually. You go to the Police, file a complaint, you tell them your side of the story in the most heart breaking way that you can, and let them do the rest. After this thing go public, I show up and give them a similar version. Giovanni will probably offer you money so that it won't get to court, but you have to make a whole scene and then take the money, and we'll share it, 50:50."  
  
"Oh, so there's money in it for you too?"  
  
"Jessica, you have to take the money, otherwise people will think that you lied."   
  
Jessie leaned back in her chair. Lauren wasn't stupid, but neither was Jessie. "Ok, but we'll share it 70:30, since I'm doing most of the work, and you need me."  
  
"Fine, Jessica, just so you'll see that money isn't the issue", She smiled, "I'm so glad you decided to go through this. It was the thought of being apart from James that made you do it, wasn't it?"  
  
"How did you know we are about to be separated?"   
  
Lauren smiled. "In time you'll see that I know everything I need to know."  
  
Jessie sighed. "So, when are we getting started?"   
  
"We can go to the police now."  
  
"Now?" Jessie didn't think she'll have to start so soon.  
  
"Yes, what are we waiting for? Giovanni will take you away from James on Monday, and we better file the complaint as soon as possible. I'll give you a ride now, but first-" she took out of her yellow bag a big black leather cushion and handed it over to Jessie. It was very hard. "You will have to go to the toilets now, put this between your legs and press it as hard as you can so that your thighs will be covered with blue marks. When they'll question you, show them the blue marks and tell them that he did it."  
  
"A medical examine?" Jessie shuddered.   
(Author's note: The nex part might seem a bit far fetched, but I needed it for the plot)  
  
"It's necessary, I'm sorry. It'll be a part of your story- When they'll ask you why you didn't complain before today you'll say that today he attacked you physically. Now go to the toilets over there-"  
  
Jessie took the cushion and went to the toilets. When she was sitting with it between her legs, she wondered how did things go so wrong.   
  
She got out after a few minutes and handed the cushion to Lauren, her hand shaking and a sad, embarrassed look on her face.   
  
"Let me see," Lauren stretched her hand and lifted Jessie's skirt a bit, so fast that Jessie couldn't manage to move Lauren's hand away. She saw the red marks which were becoming blue. "Very good", She said shortly.  
  
Lauren drove her fancy car to the nearest police station and Jessie sat next to her and looked nervously out of the window.  
  
"We're here." Lauren said after a few moments, waking Jessie from her   
daydreams.   
  
"Here? I don't see any police station."  
  
"It's around the corner. I can't drive you that far, because we shouldn't   
be seen together."   
  
"Wait, aren't you going to tell me what to say?"  
  
"There's no need to. You just have to say that he verbally abused you, that today he jumped on you and that's why you decided to complain. I know you'll do it in the most persuasive way you can."   
  
Jessie sighed and opened the door, and Lauren took her hand. "You're doing the right thing, Jessica. Everything will be ok. You just go and give them a great performance and it'll all work out just as planned."  
  
Jessie smiled sadly and got out of the car. She walked slowly a few moments and then entered the police station. She walked over to a policewoman (She chose to go to a woman, hoping that she'd be more understanding), took a deep breath and then spat: "I would like to file a complaint. Sexual harassment."  
  
-  
  
They spent the next day relaxing without mentioning the boss' decision even once. They had a quiet dinner and after it was over, Jessie packed her stuff and James washed the dishes. He still has not decided where to go after Jessie and Meowth move out with the new partner that the boss wants to associate them with.   
  
"Don't ya think ya should go and tell her now?"  
  
James turned his head over to Meowth. "Tell what to whom?"  
  
"Tell Jessie dat ya love her."  
  
James sighed. "Meowth, don't be ridiculous. What good would that do?"  
  
"This is yer last chance ta tell her. After tomorrow it'll be too late and   
she'll neva know."  
  
He looked sadly at the Pokemon. "It's too late already. Let's say I'll tell her, let even say she feels the same. Then what? We'll have a whole love scene here and starting from tomorrow I'll never see her again."  
  
Meowth felt sorry for James and Jessie. He walked over to James and put one paw on his leg, trying to comfort him. James smiled and continued drying the plates.  
  
Jessie finished packing and fell asleep right away, or at least pretend to. She wanted to avoid the heart breaking scene with James, especially now that her mind was tired from thinking about Lauren's plan. She didn't think she'd be able to stand seeing James so sad and to think about not seeing him again, if her plan doesn't work.  
  
James finished washing the dishes and went lying down beside Jessie, who was lying with her back to him. He was sorry that she went to sleep so quickly, because he wanted to say so many things to her. He pulled himself as closely as he could to her, hugged her and then fell asleep. He didn't notice that she was quietly crying.  
  
When Jessie fell asleep, she dreamt another dream. She was again crying on the floor of a dark room when her mother appeared. She smiled, caressed Jessie's cheek and then opened a secret door. James was behind it, and he entered the room, walked over to Jessie and hugged her.  
  
-  
  
"I don't understand why we had ta leave so soon. I wanted ta say goodbye to James. Don't ya wanna say goodbye?" Meowth was pretty upset that Jessie made him leave before James woke up.  
  
"Shut up already, Meowth. Why do you need to feel sad so early in the   
morning?"   
  
"Yer crazy. I don't understand ya not one bit."  
  
"Look, fur-ball, you've been nagging all the way. what's the use of saying goodbye? It'll only make things harder."  
  
Meowth felt that there was something more than that, but he couldn't say anything because they had arrived to the Team Rocket HQ. They could see that something was wrong even before entering the HQ. When they did, they spotted Cassidy and Meowth ran over to her.  
  
"What's goin' on?"  
  
"Don't you know? The boss was taken to investigation this morning!"  
  
Jessie froze in her place when Meowth, all shocked, asked why and Cassidy   
answered: "Some girl is accusing him of sexually harassing her!"  
  
"Dat is crazy! Who would do sucha thing?" Meowth couldn't believe it.  
  
"I don't know who she is, but she's definitely crazy. The boss will crash her   
and nobody will believe her", and then she noticed Jessie standing frozen and looking all pale and she asked: "What are you doing here any way?"  
  
"We were about to meet our new partner today", Jessie tried to hide the fear in her voice.  
  
"So, the boss finally decided to kick James?" Cassidy looked all smug , "good decision. Any way, nothing is going as planned today. Go home and come back after all the mess is over."  



	4. 

Part 4  
  
  
"Jessie! Meowth! I thought I'd never see you again!" James ran over and, to her surprise, jumped happily on Jessie and hugged her. "How come   
you're back?"  
  
"The boss is gone", That's the best answer that Jessie could give him.   
  
"Some girl had filed a complaint, accusing him of sexual harassment." Said Meowth, still shocked to hear that his old trainer is facing these kind of accusations.   
  
"What?" James couldn't believe it either. "Who is this girl?"  
  
"Dey don't know."   
  
"God, this is shocking. I knew that the boss was evil... but I would have never thought that he is capable of that..."  
  
"Dat's because he's not!" Meowth jumped angrily, "of course!"  
  
"Why would a girl lie about such a thing, Meowth?" Jessie was a bit angry to see Meowth blindly defending the evil man that she hated so much.  
  
"Dunno, Money, power, revenge... do I need ta continue?"  
  
"Well, you know that the boss had done many evil things and he might be capable of this..." James tried to help Jessie out.  
  
"Dat's bull! I've known da boss forever and he never did nothing like dat! I hope that who ever dat girl is, she'll be punished for lying!" And after he said that, he jumped angrily out of the door and disappear.   
  
"This whole thing is weird." Said James quietly to him self, "But at least we are together again!" He turned around to Jessie and noticed that she was crying. She was overwhelmed by the cruel things that Meowth said.  
  
"Jessie? What's wrong?" He came closer to her and put his hand on her back. "Why are you crying, Jess?"  
  
Jessie didn't answer. She knew she had to keep the deceit a secret so that no one but Lauren and herself, and of course the boss, will know the truth. But how can she lie to James about it?  
  
"Jess, what's wrong?" asked again in a soft tone. "Please, tell me."  
He rubbed her back softly with one hand, trying to calm her down, and put his other hand on her thigh. Then he saw the blue bruises on the inside of her thighs. She pressed that leather cushion so hard, that the blue marks haven't disappeared yet.   
  
"Jessie, what are those? Where did you get those?"  
  
She still didn't answer, and he put both hands on her cheeks and lifted her face a bit: "Jessie, answer me," He looked into her wet blue eyes, "You are the one who filed the complaint, aren't you?"   
  
"James... I..."  
  
"Did he do that? Did he sexually harassed you?"   
She didn't answer, just nodded.   
  
"Oh, Jessie... my god... I'm so sorry..." He hugged her tightly, and she wept on his shoulder.   
  
"So, yer the one, Jessie."   
  
They turned around and saw Meowth.   
  
"I can't believe ya'd do sucha thing." He said in a cold voice. "Da boss took ya when ya had nowhere ta go to. How can ya do dis?"  
  
"Meowth, Jessie is your friend, how can you accuse her of lying and defend that evil rootless man?" James faced him angrily.  
  
"Dat man was my trainer and he is yer boss, and I know him better than youse two."  
  
"Look at her legs! She has marks!"   
  
Jessie couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it! Both of you!" She yelled and ran into another room, where she cried for a few more hours. The plan got them back together, but tore them apart. Then she fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning.  
  
-  
  
Jessie went out of her room late that morning, and found James sitting frozen in his chair. On his lap rested a folded newspaper. The windows were shut and the room was dark. When he saw Jessie, he tried to smile.   
  
"James? Why are you sitting in the dark like this?"   
  
He pointed at the newspaper. "There's another girl. She's... she had filed the same complaint against the boss."   
  
Jessie sighed. She felt relieved- Lauren is taking her role in the game.   
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. And there's something that happened 10 years ago too."  
  
"Oh," Jessie turned around so that James won't see the relieved grin on her face, "What's the girl's name?"  
  
"Sherry. Umm... Sherry Terner."  
  
She froze. Sherry Terner? "Let me see", she took the paper and opened it. In the big article was mentioned that the girl is only 14, and that she worked in the mechanical Pokemon park. It wasn't Lauren.   
  
"Jessie, are you ok? You look pale."  
  
"I... I have to go out for a while," She said shortly and went outside before James had a chance to ask her where she's going. She found a public phone and called Lauren.  
  
"Lauren?"  
  
"Jessica, I was expecting your call."  
  
"Who is Sherry Terner? Is this a part of the plan?"  
  
"No, Jessica, but it can certainly help us."   
  
"I want to see her." She shortly demanded.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because... because if I lied and you lied, how come the boss really did it?"  
  
"You should be happy that you're not ruining an innocent man's reputation. You may see her if that's what you want, I have her home address for you, but no matter what, don't tell her that you lied. You'll get both of you in big troubles."  
  
"I need the address, please."  
  
"Jessica! You have to promise me. If you blow this thing out, you and your friends will suffer the most. Giovanni will punish you all." Lauren sounded almost angry, and Jessie had never seen her losing her temper before.  
  
"Fine, just give me the address."   
  
Lauren gave her the address and then Jessie hung up and got into the team's rental van. After 30 minutes of driving, she arrived to a little house far away from any city or any people. She got out of the car, walked over to the big door, took a deep breath and knocked. No body answered, and she knocked again.  
  
The door opened only to a crack and a woman peeped from behind it.  
  
"Yes? What do you want?" She said impatiently.   
  
"Is Sherry home?"  
  
"Look, all you reporters, stay out of here! She ain't gonna talk with you!" She was about to shut the door in Jessie's face, but Jessie pushed it with her hand and stopped her.  
  
"I'm not a reporter, my name is Jessie M..."  
  
"Jessie...!" She recognized the name and opened the door. "Come in, please... Sherry! Come down here!"   
  
A young girl came down the stairs and gave Jessie a cold suspicious look. A little boy was standing behind her.  
  
"Sherry, that's the girl who complained against your nasty boss!"  
  
"Hello", Jessie smiled at her, "I'm Jessie, I'd like to talk with you."  
  
Sherry's eyes lit as she realized who Jessie was, and she ordered her mother to go out of the room and leave them alone, and so she did.  
  
"I'm glad you came here, I wanted to meet you." Sherry shook Jessie's hand shyly, "I think what you did is great. You gave a chance for girls like me to tell their stories."  
  
"Sherry..." Jessie didn't know what to say, "Did... did Giovanni... really hurt you? I mean..."  
  
"Of course he did, what do you mean? Just like he did to you." Sherry sounded defensive.   
  
"Sherry, I need to know if he really did those things to you."  
  
Sherry stepped back. "What are you asking me that?"   
  
Suddenly, the little boy ran into the room and hugged Sherry's leg. "Sherry..." he said and buried his face in her dress. She took him in her arms.   
  
"Sam, you have to go to mommy now. Go and help her bake chocolate cookies."  
  
The boy looked at Jessie and then back at Sherry, and then ran quickly into the kitchen.  
  
Sherry glared at Jessie. "I don't know what you want. I'm helping your case... The boss is a nasty, cruel man who exploits his employees all the time. This kid is my brother, Sam, and he's sick. Giovanni wouldn't give me the money when I needed it to help him get well, and I worked so hard for it..."   
  
"But did he sexually harassed you?"   
  
"Why are you insisting on that? With out me your case doesn't stand a chance..." And she turned her back to Jessie.   
  
"Sherry..." Jessie felt sorry for the young girl, "Lying won't do any good, it'll only hurt you. And if you need money... there are people who can help you with that... lying isn't the solution..."  
  
"I think you better go now." Sherry said shortly. Jessie looked at her for a few moments, then quietly got out and shut the door behind her.   
Sherry lied. And she did it to support Jessie's lies.  



	5. Part 5

Part 5   
  
  
When Jessie came back home, she felt like a total wreck. There she was, trying to convince a young girl not to ruin her life with lies, when she did the exact same.   
  
She opened the door slowly and enter the house. She found James there, sitting next to a radio.   
  
"Jessie, it?s all over the news," He said quietly. Jessie was glad that it did. At least the plan works and she?ll benefit from the crazy situation. "They say he?s accused with pretty serious stuff", he said.  
  
Jessie didn?t answer, she just took off her coat and sat next to him.  
  
"Tell me what he did to you, Jessie."  
  
She froze. She didn?t want to tell all those embarrassing details to James, and lie to him any further. "Leave it, James."  
  
"Please, I want to know. They say he verbally abused you for a while, but I never heard him say anything like that to you."  
  
"He called me over to talk with me and said all those things when you weren?t there", she answered shortly.  
  
"And he told you... what?"  
  
"Leave it, James, I don?t want to talk about it."  
  
He got up and sat next to her, and he hugged her shoulder. "You?ll feel better if you talk about it."  
  
"Look what this whole thing did to Meowth."  
  
"That?s because he?s loyal to his old trainer. You know how much that evil man means to him. But I believe you and I want to help. Please, tell me, what did he say?"  
  
"All kinds of stuff. How pretty I was and how sexy I looked, and he offered me thing, you know."  
  
James looked at her sadly. It hurt him to hear all those things.   
  
"Did he physically hurt you?"  
  
"Only once... he... attacked me, that?s where I got the bruises and that?s why I decided to complain."   
  
He looked more angry as she spoke. "The son of a bitch..."   
  
"Please, James, I told you to leave it. I don?t want you to react that way." She felt bad that those lies made him so upset.  
  
He hugged her tighter. "I?m so sorry, Jess. I?m sorry that he hurt you. I?m sorry that I didn?t help. I should have helped you, Jessie, I should have stopped him..."  
  
"Don?t talk nonsense. You didn?t know."  
  
"I should have guessed", he hugged her and buried his face in her neck, "I should have known that an evil sick man like him is capable of hurting you like that."  
  
"James, stop it. You didn?t know and there was nothing you could do."  
  
"I can just kill him. I should have killed him, I should have done something to stop that bastard." He frightened her, and she didn?t know what he was going to do. She had never seen him so angry. "He should pay. He must pay... I?ll kill him!" He jumped angrily.  
  
"What are you going to do, James?"  
  
"I?ll kill the son of a bitch! I?ll show him, once and for all!" And after saying that he suddenly grabbed the keys to the team?s van and ran fast though the door.  
  
"James! Don?t do anything crazy! You?ll get yourself killed!" She jumped and ran after him, but he was already in the van, stepped on the gas and drove away. "J-a-m-e-s!!! No!!! Come back here!" She yelled after him but he drove fast and disappeared. She ran into the house, crying hysterically, and quickly called Lauren.   
  
"Jessica, dear, what?s wrong?"  
  
"Lauren, everything has gone wrong! This whole plan is going out of hand!" She cried.  
  
"Tell me what?s wrong, Jessica."  
  
"It?s James, he?s... going to do something crazy, he went to see the boss, he?ll get himself killed!"  
  
"You have to go after him. Giovanni will definitely kill him."  
  
Jessie hung up quickly. She was so hysteric that she couldn?t think straight. Suddenly she remembered the old bicycles in the garage. She ran to the garage and jumped on the bicycles. Without wasting a second, she took off and rode them as fast as she could to the Team Rocket HQ.  
  
It took her too long, far too long to get there. The HQ was far away and it took her about an hour to get there, while in a car it?s a 20-30 minutes ride. She was afraid that she was too late and with out thinking it through, she jumped through the door, set to rescue James. But the moment she ran through the door, two big and strong men dressed in black caught her, held her down with force and one of them injected something into her arm.  
  
Jessie immediately fell down and everything turned black.  
  
-   
  
While she was out, Jessie had another dream. This time she saw her mother, holding a little baby in her arms, and Lauren was standing next to her and they both smiled. But Lauren looked a lot younger. Then, Her mother gave the little baby a toy- a little object shaped like the letter R, and she and Lauren smiled happily as the baby played with it.   
  
Jessie woke up slowly, with a splitting headache, and could hardly focus in the face of the Team Rocket?s boss. She found herself lying in James? arms, and she was so happy to see that he?s still alive, that she accidentally blurted out loud: "You?re alive!"   
  
"Not for long, though", the boss said in a cold scary voice, "Thanks to your lies and deceits. I knew you were a failure, Jessie, but I?ve never known you?re such a lost case. How does it feel? To lose all the power that you thought you had?"  
  
"Jessie didn?t lie", James tried to stand up for her.  
  
"Shut up, you useless nothing. You don?t know nothing about your friend here", He came closer to them and bent a little so that his face were just above Jessie?s. He lifted her chin with his finger, and James tightened his grip of Jessie in fear, trying to protect her from the boss.   
  
"You know what, Jessie", he smiled evilly, "Maybe you?re not a loser at all. After all- lying like that and scheming the way you did- why it?s just perfect for Team Rocket! Too bad you weren?t as good in the team as you were in throwing accusations at me!"   
  
"Leave us alone..." Jessie whispered weakly, still hazy from the drugs that the men injected to her.   
  
"Oh, you little stupid girl. You actually thought that you could face me or try to hurt me in any way? You fool..."  
  
"You deserve to be punished for what you did..." James spat quietly.   
  
"Shut up!" The boss screamed maniacally very close to Jessie and James? faces, and they stuck to each other in horror, "I should kill you both now and get it over with. You useless fools."  
  
Jessie and James saw their end coming, when suddenly the door opened and a strong light came from the outside. Jessie could hardly see the short blue dress and blue shoes with the matching blue hat, a hat which had wide brim. Then, They heard a voice.  
  
"Leave the kids alone, Giovanni."   
  



	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
  
"Lauren Malone", The boss looked at the woman and said quietly in a cold tone, with no expression on his face, "It's been a long time."  
  
"It certainly has, Giovanni." The woman took another step forward and then Jessie could recognize her.  
  
"I should have known you're behind all this. No one can lie and scheme as well as you do."  
  
"Don't forget who's the boss of a crime organization. And let's not forget who turned it to be so evil and vicious." She said calmly.  
  
"The way that it supposed to be!"   
  
"The way you want it to be", her tone didn't change, "A way that will make more money for you and give you more power. Your mother wasn't like that. She'd be ashamed of you if she saw what you turned her organization into."  
  
Giovanni was very upset to hear that and he took a few big steps towards her, but she didn't seem to be scared at all. In fact, she gave him a relaxed smile.   
  
"You never knew what's best for you", he said, "I could have given you everything you ever wanted but you chose to stick to your priggish ways. And you still don't know what's good for you. If you did, you would have stayed the hell away from me and stop those pathetic attempts to destroy me!" Giovanni looked frighteningly mad.  
  
"Somebody has to stop you from doing all the evil things you do."   
  
"You are still stubborn, Lauren. You haven't change a bit."  
  
"Neither did you."  
  
"I should kill you all right now!" He screamed maniacally at Jessie and James, and turned back to look at Lauren, "Right now!"  
  
"I... I wouldn't suggest you do that", that voice was Jessie's voice, who weakly sat up on the floor. "If you do, everyone will think that those accusations I threw at you were true. And there's always Sherry Terner to back it up."  
  
Laura smiled, and Giovanni looked at Jessie with wide opened eyes.  
  
"I guess I still have the power, sir", she said in great courage, and even tried to smile.   
  
He looked at her, shocked, and then spat: "I want you to drop all your accusations."  
  
"I will, but first you will free all of us unharmed, and James and I will both get our jobs in Team Rocket back, together, and you will never ever tear us apart again. Furthermore, you'll give money to Sherry Terner so she will help her sick brother."  
  
"That's absurd. You want your old jobs back? And money for that little brat who tried to file a complaint against me?"   
  
Jessie didn't let the boss get to her, and she continued, as calmly as she could: "You will do it, and we will both cancel all our accusations. If you won't- we will go public and ruin your reputation completely. Plus- if you think that after the accusations are canceled, you will be able to get rid of us- think again. Because as you've seen in the last few days- there are a lot of people who are just dying to get back at you and destroy you. It won't be any problem to find more girls like Sherry and convince them to do what I did."  
  
Giovanni looked at Lauren. "You taught her well", he said.  
  
"She's her mother's daughter", Lauren smiled calmly, "And she might be the most powerful Rocket member you'll ever have, so keep her at your good side."  
  
Giovanni looked at her for a moment and then looked back at Jessie. "Very well, girl. It will all be done. Now get the hell out of my sight. And Lauren, I'd like to have a few words with you."  
  
Jessie didn't like to leave Lauren alone with the boss, but Lauren smiled at her and nodded, assuring Jessie that it is ok to leave.  
  
James was the first to jump out of the room and run out of the Team Rocket headquarters. Jessie ran after him but she couldn't catch up with him, because she was still under the influence of the drugs.  
  
"James, wait!"  
  
He didn't stop, and Jessie could hardly shout again: "Please, wait!"  
  
James froze in his place with out turning around to face Jessie. "You lied to me." he said shortly in a cold tone.  
  
"I'm sorry..." She put a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"How could you? Do you have any idea what this whole thing did to me?"  
  
"I know... I'm sorry... please let me explain."  
  
"How can you explain? How?! You lied to everyone!" He turned around   
and she saw that his big green eyes were wet.  
  
"James, you have to understand. The boss... he wanted to separate us, and I thought I'd never see you again... and just that day, that woman Lauren told me that he was responsible for my mother's death, and..."  
  
"Your mother?" James didn't understand.  
  
"Yes, she said that he was the one who advised his mother to send my mother to a suicide mission... she said that she had known my mom and that I'm strong like her, and that the boss is ruining Team Rocket... you understand now?"  
  
"Hardly", he looked confused.  
  
I just wanted us to stay together, James. You know I'll never hurt you intentionally." She looked sincere.   
  
"I can understand why you wanted to get back at him. And at the end, you prevent him from tearing you away from me, so..."  
  
She looked into his eyes and whispered: "Don't hate me, James..."  
  
"I'll never hate you, Jessie. I can never hate you..." He hugged her tight and she clutched onto him, "To be honest, I'm happy that it wasn't true and that he didn't really hurt you."  
  
"No, he didn't."  
  
"You shouldn't have lied like that. It tore me apart on the inside, I could have killed him for what I thought he did."  
  
"I know... James... I'm so sorry..."  
  
"Lets just go find Meowth now, ok? Tell him everything, and lets hope that he will forgive you."  
  
"Yes, I hope so", thinking about Meowth's reaction frightened Jessie, and she was sorry that she hurt him so much. She was afraid that he will never forgive her.  
  
James started walking down the hill and Jessie was about to follow him when she suddenly put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the little piece of paper with Lauren's phone number on it. She looked at it for a few seconds and was about to throw it away, but then changed her mind and put it back into her pocket.  
  
  
*** END***   



End file.
